Andy Luger resigns as Minnesota US Attorney, making way for Trump pick

Abby Simons, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jan 14, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS — Andy Luger officially announced plans to resign his post as Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney on Tuesday, a decision he shared with the Star Tribune late last year that makes way for an incoming-President Donald Trump nominee.

Effective at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, his resignation caps the end of the Joe Biden-appointed attorney’s second stint as the state’s top federal prosecutor. Luger first served in the position under Barack Obama from 2014 to 2017. His voluntary exit allows him to avoid a repeat of 2017, when Luger was stunned via a wave of Friday firings early in Trump’s first term.

“I have been honored to lead this office for the second time,” Luger said in a statement Tuesday. “In March 2022, I set us on the path to address violent crime to meet the challenge our community faced. I am so grateful to the people of this Office and our many law enforcement partners for the work we have done to bring violent criminals to justice. We have also taken aggressive action against child predators, for which I am proud.”

Luger’s latest term began in 2022, when Minneapolis and other Minnesota cities battled a trend of rising violent crime. That May, Luger announced he’d instructed all criminal prosecutors in his office to help crack down on violent offenses, with an emphasis on indicting traffickers of illegal guns and car thieves. His office also implemented a new strategy for prosecuting street crime, using a racketeering statute used to take down organized crime syndicates like the Mafia on urban gangs. His tenure was also marked by a rise in fraud cases related to pandemic-era benefits and prosecutions against individuals involved in the Feeding Our Future scandal.

Trump takes office on Jan. 20 and is expected to nominate a replacement. Among the candidates, according to Star Tribune sources, is Erica MacDonald, who served in the position during Trump’s last term. Any presidential nominee must clear the U.S. Senate before taking the oath of office.

Stephen Montemayor of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.

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